Vodafone UK and Mavenir have jointly completed the first data and voice over LTE (VoLTE) call across a containerised 4G small cell open radio access network (O-RAN) solution in a lab environment. This move is aimed at delivering an open and vendor-interoperable 4G connectivity solution for small to medium-sized office locations. The solution will provide 4G coverage initially, making use of radio hardware from Sercomm and software from Mavenir (Open RAN).
Containerisation means that software can be seamlessly transferred between equipment, platforms, and applications. The Containers as a Service (CaaS) software is provided by Wind River Studio. Containerisation provides greater flexibility for customers, but also significant benefits in terms of speed and cost of deployment.
Also, Vodafone and Mavenir will focus on finalising the packaging and automation of the solution before beginning trials with selected customers. O-RAN technology separates software from hardware, which provides more flexibility for mobile operators and customers.
Commenting on the development, Andrea Dona, chief network officer, Vodafone UK, said, “Open RAN is opening doors to simplified and intuitive connectivity solutions. For our wider network deployment strategy, Open RAN is enabling us to work with a wider pool of suppliers and to avoid vendor lock-in scenarios that might prevent us from taking advantage of the latest innovations. The same could be said for enterprise connectivity solutions. From the moment Open RAN is deployed in an office environment, customers are no-longer locked into a single upgrade path. Working alongside Vodafone, customers can be more flexible in how connectivity solutions are adapted and upgraded as demands evolve in the future.”
Meanwhile, Stefano Cantarelli, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Mavenir, said, “Cloud native and open solutions are becoming the new reality of the mobile world, and these include radio access and its containerised implementation. Open vRAN is a very flexible architecture that can serve any type of segment and Mavenir is really pleased to work with Vodafone in the enterprise business and achieved another first together. It is an opportunity to show that automated and AI controlled systems will simplify life to business and industry.”
